I got this idea earlier for an added incentive to keep players coming back to a game.  It could exist as part of a system I'm musing, or even as a standstill mechanic.  I'm tentatively calling it "Threading" until I come up with a better term.

As a player is present for an extended number of consecutive sessions, his character(s) becomes more deeply-woven into the goings-on of the current story at hand.  To represent this, the players and GM work together beforehand to create a custom list of progressive meta-abilities, rewarded to the players as they "unlock" them after being at the game for X consecutive sessions.  These could take the form of a variety of things, depending on the game and system.

For example, in Savage Worlds it might take the form of bonus bennies or cards from the action deck, while D20 could have temporary feats or bonuses here and there.  More story-focused games could give the players steady boost their their authorial control, and/or enhancements to the overall impact of their decisions and uses of the system.

On the other side of the coin, it could be used as an ad hoc penalty for those who flake out, by way of a simply social contract within the establishment of this thread track.  By missing a game, your current "thread count" is seriously decremented - halved, perhaps, or maybe even eliminated.  Of course, the player and GM could beforehand discuss "freezing" the character's thread count, by having them temporarily written out in a story-conducive cliffhanger scene, or some such.

For example, in a system I'm currently musing, players do a lot of resource management to affect the story.  At the end of each scene, players can recharge one spent resource point.  With Threading, I could set a higher resource return rate as an unlockable bonus for players who have been steadfast and true to the game.

It should work, if the vast majority of the players is already able and willing to commit to regular attendance in a long-term game, and happy about the prospect.

However, if you have both players who are willing and able to commit and players who are either not able to attend regularly or who'd prefer to attend casually, it would only enlarge the gap between both groups that already is there (i.e. those who miss sessions don't get the regular rewards and they have less opportunities to impact the continuing story in the first place). I suppose in such a situation introducing "unlockables" would provide a disincentive for those who either can't be in every game or are interested in participating only occasionally (e.g. they are certain to be overshadowed by regular attendants eventually, as they are either unable or uninterested in the investment required to remain on equal playing field - so why should they bother?).

So, I'd be careful with such solutions, unless it's the underlying assumption of the game that everyone should be ready and willing for the regular time commitment.

On the other hand, you could introduce "unlockables" in areas that are somewhat important in a given game, but not so critical that people who don't get them are automatically overshadowed by those who do.

Filip wrote:
So, I'd be careful with such solutions, unless it's the underlying assumption of the game that everyone should be ready and willing for the regular time commitment.

On the other hand, you could introduce "unlockables" in areas that are somewhat important in a given game, but not so critical that people who don't get them are automatically overshadowed by those who do.

I've considered attendance rewards in the past. But looking at it in a stark way now, it's a reward for having contributed nothing to the game at all (unless you count just turning up as a contribution). It kind of jars with any rules which do reward for contributing to the game.

In addition to Filip and Callan's excellent comments I just want to point out that this already happens with many RPGs.  Most folk don't award experience points or tokens or whatever sort of advancement exists in the game for missed sessions.  You're really just looking at increasing this.

In many instances characters that are most available, or characters of players the GM knows are dependable, are more likely to be woven into story elements already because of their dependence AND because the player and character just have more opportunities to weave the character into any give arc.

Finally, note that this can be problematic where significant others and roommates game.  My girlfriend will never miss any of my games so, by default, she will have the most mechanically powerful character in a game I run under this system.  That seems unfair, as does awarding people with more flexible schedules.

I put it to you that attendance is a problem that exists, and can only be resolved, outside of the game and that the proposed mechanics would not have a positive effect on this out of game issue.